Lil Boat is the debut commercial mixtape by American rapper Lil Yachty. It was released on March 9, 2016,[1][2] by Quality Control Music, Capitol Records and Motown. The mixtape's production was primarily provided by TheGoodPerry, along other record producers such as 1Mind, Earl, Digital Nas and Grandfero. Yachty enlisted guest appearances from Young Thug, Quavo and Byou, among others.

Lil Boat
Mixtape by
ReleasedMarch 9, 2016 (2016-03-09)
Recorded2015–2016
Genre
Length45:52
Label
Producer
Lil Yachty chronology
Summer Songs EP
(2015)
Lil Boat
(2016)
Summer Songs 2
(2016)
Singles from Lil Boat
  1. "One Night"
    Released: August 19, 2015
  2. "Minnesota"
    Released: March 9, 2016

Background

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Yachty first came to prominence in December 2015 when the SoundCloud version of his song "One Night" was used in a viral comedy video.[3] In February 2016, Yachty debuted as a model in Kanye West's Yeezy Season 3 fashion line at Madison Square Garden.[4]

The cover was designed by Mihailo Andic, using stock images and some images obtained from Tumblr.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork4.8/10[6]
Tiny Mix Tapes4/5[7]

In a positive review, Nick Henderson of Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that "Lil Boat is the kind of music that does not need to make a case for its own value, only judged on the intangible, absurdist metrics of its self-contained universe."[7] Sheldon Pearce from Pitchfork was more critical and found that the mixtape "makes a grating mess of varying influences."[6]

Complex ranked the mixtape at number 31 on its "Best Albums of 2016" list.[8] Critic Edwin Ortiz wrote that Lil Yachty "carved out his own lane with his debut mixtape" and praised the project for "showcasing his bubble-gum trap approach to hip-hop and his delightfully weird overall individuality."[8] Uproxx ranked the album at number 19 on its "Best Rap Albums of 2016", commenting that "Yachty uses Auto-Tune to polish and blur his sad, vindictive and romantic instincts, steering through choppy waters of adolescence with the same wide-eyed selfishness and wonder of any teenager in America."[9]

Track listing

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Lil Boat track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro (Just Keep Swimming)"TheGoodPerry4:12
2."Wanna Be Us" (featuring TheGoodPerry)
  • McCollum
  • Moise
  • Colby Crump
  • TheGoodPerry
  • Crump
2:51
3."Minnesota" (featuring Quavo, Skippa da Flippa and Young Thug)
Grandfero4:28
4."Not My Bro"
  • McCollum
  • Charles Singleton
Ducko McFli2:23
5."Interlude"
  • McCollum
  • Bobby Lowery
Sage1:18
6."Good Day" (featuring Skippa da Flippa)
  • McCollum
  • Purnell
  • Carlos Robinson
Big Los3:18
7."Up Next 2" (featuring Big Brutha Chubba and Byou)
Digital Nas2:58
8."Run / Running"
  • McCollum
  • Isaac Bynum
[b]
5:20
9."Never Switch Up"
  • McCollum
  • Lopez Alfredo
1Mind2:41
10."One Night"
  • McCollum
  • Moise
TheGoodPerry4:03
11."Out Late"
  • McCollum
  • Bynum
  • Bennet Pepple
Earl2:40
12."Fucked Over"
  • McCollum
  • Singleton
Ducko McFli2:55
13."I'm Sorry" (featuring TheGoodPerry)
  • McCollum
  • Moise
TheGoodPerry3:12
14."We Did It (Positivity Song)"
  • McCollum
  • Moise
TheGoodPerry3:26
Total length:45:52

Notes

Sample credits

  • "Intro (Just Keep Swimming)" contains a sample of "Just Keep Swimming" from Finding Nemo.
  • "Not My Bro" contains a sample of "Killing You", performed by Broods.
  • "Good Day" contains a sample of "かけてあげる", performed by Daoko.
  • "Run / Running" contains a sample of "File Select" from Super Mario 64.

Charts

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Chart performance for Lil Boat
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[10] 106

Certifications

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Certifications for Lil Boat
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Weinstein, Max (March 9, 2016). "Lil Yachty Releases Debut Mixtape 'Lil Boat' Featuring Young Thug and Quavo". XXL. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  2. ^ "Lil Yachty – Lil Boat Mixtape". DatPiff. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  3. ^ Pearce, Sheldon (November 30, 2016). "From Lil Yachty to DRAM, 2016's best hip-hop is all about black joy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  4. ^ "Rapper debuted 'The Life of Pablo' and Yeezy Season 3 fashion line at Madison Square Garden". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  5. ^ "Here's the Story Behind Lil Yachty's Amazing Mixtape Cover – Green Label". Green Label. March 17, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Pearce, Sheldon (March 17, 2016). "Lil Yachty: Lil Boat". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Henderson, Nick. "Lil Yachty – Lil Boat". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  8. ^ a b Ortiz, Edwin. "50 Best Albums of 2016". Complex. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  9. ^ White, Caitlin. "The Best Rap Albums of 2016". Uproxx. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  10. ^ "Lil Yachty Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  11. ^ "American album certifications – Lil Yachty – Lil Boat". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 8, 2024.